Apple Event - Live Blogging/Streaming Coverage

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by stustaff

10 hours watching movies! thats much better than pretty much any laptop or netbook on the market and you say 'meh' looks like you have it in for it no matter what..

No. Not 10 hours watching movies. 10 hours period. I seriously doubt you'd bet anywhere near 10 hours watching movies on it.

[charleski]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't see the iPad competing with a dedicated reader at all. Will there be people that read ebooks on their iPad... sure. Is it the reason that 95% of people that buy one will have bought it, hell no.

BOb

Jobs said it himself whgen introducing the device: "It's the best web experience you've ever had". The iPad is about browsing the web and watching movies.
The ereader functionality is there so that students can justify the purchase to their parents.

OTOH if having a shiny new Apple toy encourages kids to try reading for a change, I'm all for it.

The one really big surprise for me is the lack of a web cam. I think that's a real mistake on Apple's part.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I disagree. When look at the Kindle2 price with 6inch eInk, 3G radio, free wireless access to the book store and Wikipedia and the basic web browser for $250 then compare it to the iPad which is $629 for the basic model with the 3G radio and you have to pay [at least] $15/mo for a data plan which adds $180 a year to the price. I don't see it as over priced.

I don't see the iPad competing with a dedicated reader at all. Will there be people that read ebooks on their iPad... sure. Is it the reason that 95% of people that buy one will have bought it, hell no.

BOb

When you compare the thousand of things the iPad will be able to do that the Kindle2 can't, then in my eyes the Kindle also looks overpriced. If I do buy the iPad I wouldn't want 3G anyway - WI-FI is fine for me. There aren't many situations that I would be away from a signal or couldn't get to one. That's why I bought an iTouch and not an iPhone. Besides, I like color.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Hogan

But isnt it an LCD screen on the iPad? If it is then surely eInk still wins out in terms of eye strain? Or am I missing something about the iPad?

It does win out, but I'm putting myself in the position of someone who wants to read ebooks and wants a web-browsing/netbook type device also. At $499 the price becomes very tempting, eye strain or not.

[lifevicarious]

Originally Posted by MovieBird

I've not played on the internet with touchscreen only devices, how does the iPhone/etc. deal with the input of web addresses? Or do you just go to Google and type 3 letters and tap links from there?

It's just like a computer, you go to the address bar, the keyboard pops up and you type the address. There are really only two bad things about Safari on the iPhone/touch, no flash support and the screen is small. The iPad fixes one of those!

[lifevicarious]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

No. Not 10 hours watching movies. 10 hours period. I seriously doubt you'd bet anywhere near 10 hours watching movies on it.

I'm not saying their claim is true, but it says what it says...

Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

[JBNY]

I also find it interesting that the apple site lists no ebook formats other than RTF and PDF. So it looks like as an ebook reader, the iPad will not be participating with the rest of us.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by MovieBird

I've not played on the internet with touchscreen only devices, how does the iPhone/etc. deal with the input of web addresses? Or do you just go to Google and type 3 letters and tap links from there?

you type them in on the keyboard, just like you do on a computer. Some people are pretty adept at typing on it...I"m not really very good at it.



But, on a computer, I usually go to Google and type 3 letters as well

[ColdSun]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

Cold, you think Apple would send you one for review if you ask them nicely?

I'll definately be pushing for a review device, although I don't think Apple (being the large company they are) will be sending review devices to anything but the biggest reviewers. It doesn't matter though, my order will be placed as soon as I can get to it.

As to the question of surfing on an iPhone - it is actually quite a pleasant experience except for the screen size and small keyboard. This device handles those issues and I'm guessing other than tablets with the new Tegra 2 chipset, this will be the fastest internet surfing slate on the market.

[ficbot]

Really? Can I ask the people who'll be using this rather than a netbook - what would YOU use a netbook for?

Sure I use mine basically as a glorified jukebox when I'm teaching (I am a French teacher). Each class has one day a week that is their dedicated French music day. I teach a new song (sometimes using a Powerpoint show running simultaneously, as an aid for the lyrics) and then we review songs they already know. I always finish with a sort video, usually a clip from a Disney song, all of which I download off YouTube for off-line viewing.

My big annoyance with the netbook is the time is takes to set up. It has a long boot time and then I have to find a plug for it because it won't last all day. Some of the classrooms don't have a very accessible plug either. And then I am carrying around the netbook and the power brick plus whatever else...

I don't see an iPad replacing my Kindle because I really use the dictionary (when I read in French) and the text to speech (commuting/at the gym). But I do see it replacing my netbook (for teaching) and instead of buying a new iPod Touch. I have been needing a new one because my first gen is starting to lose steam, but I've been putting it off because I don't really listen to music much and couldn't justify the money. This device might be my new 'instead on a new iPod' purchase.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by JBNY

I also find it interesting that the apple site lists no ebook formats other than RTF and PDF. So it looks like as an ebook reader, the iPad will not be participating with the rest of us.

No ePub then?

[lifevicarious]

[QUOTE=JBNY;759236]I don't know. I don't see how this is going to hurt the e-books business at all. No one who bought an e-ink based product because of less eye strain is going to switch to this.

[\QUOTE]

This assumes that most people who buy e-ink buy it because of eye strain.

I was going to buy a Kindle (my wife has one) but was waiting for this. I will certainly not buy a Kindle now and will get this. It already hurt the other business.

[Krystian Galaj]

Originally Posted by lifevicarious

I'm not saying their claim is true, but it says what it says...

Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

This text is on aPple's tech info web page for Ipad, to be precise.

[MovieBird]

Originally Posted by lifevicarious

It's just like a computer, you go to the address bar, the keyboard pops up and you type the address. There are really only two bad things about Safari on the iPhone/touch, no flash support and the screen is small. The iPad fixes one of those!

But you type on a virtual keyboard that you have to pull up? That sounds slow, and error-prone due to hunt-and-pecking. Not to mention a horrid way to type out emails.

I guess I just don't get the appeal of a virtual keyboard for navigation on the web, which is why I was originally referring to the couch-surfing comment.

[JSWolf]

I do think the iPad has the potential to kill sales of the Kindle DX and other larger eink screen devices.